E-Commerce Giant Revolve Is Being Accused of Lacking Racial and Body Diversity

If you thought we left brands and ad campaigns that predominantly feature thin, light-skinned models back in 2017, you are (very sadly) mistaken. Thankfully, though, there are still plenty of people willing to call out these brands and force them to change their ways. Revolve is one such brand; in the past few days, according to The Fashion Law, Instagram users have started flooding the e-commerce giant's comments section to criticize its alleged failure to include plus-size and non-white models in its cadre of high-powered influencers, the nominees for last year's Revolve Awards, and the brand's Instagram feed.

Many of the commenters are slamming what they perceive to be a major lack of representation in Revolve's imagery: Some have started using the hashtag "#RevolveSoWhite," and others are requesting more body diversity from the brand. "Nooooooo diversity at all!!! So where is the woman that looks like me?" one frustrated person wrote in the brand's Instagram comments. "Love the clothes, concepts etc. The revolve world however appears from instagram one which does not welcome plus size women. Disappointing to see from such an influential brand," another noted.

On top of the criticism from fans on Instagram, Revolve has been written about in depth by Valerie Eguavoen of On A Curve. In a post titled "#YOUBELONGNOW - Responding to Revolve and the Fashion Industry, on its Consistent Exclusion of Black Women," Eguavoen writes, "Despite the overwhelming support I have received on Instagram, I have to say that I am not a pioneer. Hundreds of black women and other women of color express their frustrations on this topic every single day – through the comment sections, on their platforms, and through emails and DM’s to the brands themselves. Our voices are out there, but they are not being heard" She goes on to detail her frustrations about a DM conversation with one of the bloggers who appeared on a recent press trip with Revolve, as well as the amount of support she's received regarding speaking out. You can (and should) read her entire post here.

Now, while it's certainly not an exact science, a quick scan of the brand's product pages and Instagram grid paints a rather repetitive picture:

It should be noted that although many commenters have claimed that Revolve only features white women on its website and social media feeds, a fair number of Revolve's influencers are actually light-skinned or white-passing women of color, like Chrissy Teigen and Nicole Richie. However, it is nearly impossible to find any darker-skinned women in any of Revolve's photos, and there are virtually zero plus-size women shown modeling the brand's clothing in the online store or on Insta. Revolve has yet to comment on the controversy, but Allure has reached out to the brand for comment and will update accordingly.

Revolve joins a long list of problematic brands that have been shamed for failing to highlight anything close to size and racial diversity in their collections. In 2017 alone, Athleta, Wish.com, andBoohoo were all slammed for inexplicably choosing to cast sample-size women as models for their plus-size clothing options. Additionally, several T-shirt designs on Zazzle.com celebrating "Black Girl Magic" were found to be modeled by white women.

It's 2018 — is it so much to ask that clothing brands claiming to serve women of all shapes, sizes, and colors actually show those diverse women in their marketing imagery?